THIS IS US: The Big Three

This Is Us did not disappoint with the second episode. It was emotional and great and had a little twist at the end of the episode.
The episode shows us eight years into the future, in the past. How the triplets (yes, I’m calling them triplets) are doing and how their parents are handling life. In the present the twins are still dealing with their own issues, weight and showbiz while Randall’s biological father is still staying with them.

Ange and I talk about the episode below – she sent me the below with the caviot, “I may have gotten carried away” That is the type of show This Is Us is – a show that makes us want to talk about it forever:

Ange: This show sure knows how to hit the feels! While there were no tears from me this week, I’m enjoying the way the show really captures feelings and the realness of the human essence without any fancy trims etc. The top scenes in particular that got to me and just made me feel (sorry I know I’m using this word a lot but I can’t seem to describe it another way!) were Rebecca’s speech about how she saw her and Jack being parents together as a 6 and that their kids deserved at least a 9 but she felt that she was already up there and that it was him that was lowering their score and she wasn’t going to stand for it any more. I feel like that scene particularly resonated with me because it just felt real and relatable. Parenting is hard, let alone parenting with three kids the same age! Then of course the scene of the following morning where Jack had been camped outside their room all night because he doesn’t like to sleep far away from Rebecca (aww!) and vowed that he’d be a 12, also made me feel, in a good way! You want them to be okay and make it through. Yes, seeing them in the opening scene where things were a bit tense was a bit like ‘oh’ but hey that’s life – it’s not all rainbows and unicorns. You have ups and downs and this realness is a large part why the show is so popular – it’s relatable and the writing is good. The other scene that got me was the phone call between Kevin and Randall, which ended with the two along with Kate chanting their Big Three chant that they used to say as a kid. I do love a feel good family moment and you’re never too old for one!

Okay so let’s talk about this twist at the end.I thought it was interesting to have another twist in the second ep. Is there going to be a twist every ep? Is that something we should expect? For some reason, it didn’t surprise me that Jack and Rebecca aren’t together in the present – I thought during the pilot they alluded that Jack has passed so them not being together didn’t surprise me, what surprised me was that she was now married to his best friend! So I’m not sure the show has confirmed that Jack has passed away (I may need to rewatch the pilot to find the actual proof) but I am choosing to believe that Jack has died rather than they divorced. After all, would she still be wearing his necklace if they divorced?

I have to say I am loving the way the show flows and flashes back and forth between the past and present without having to state the obvious with captions on screen about the year. The show has managed to jutaxpose the different times naturally. I thought it was interesting that they jumped ahead 8 years after the pilot, I think most of us thought it was going to take place with the big three being babies, but it seemed to work for the episode and if the show continues to do it as well as it did in this ep then I have no issues about jumping all over the timeframe. To me, the show is about slices of life so I don’t think we necessarily have to see things in order.

This week we saw Brad Garrett and Katey Sagal. Once again Katey did a great job playing the tough no-nonsense woman. As for Brad, I’ve only seen him in Everybody Loves Raymond so it was cool to see him in a less fuddy duddy role and I totally bought him as a powerful executive. The part where he was calmly telling Kevin that he intended to spend the next 2 years drifting and recasting the lead in a hit sitcom was not drifting was great!

I also have to mention that I love the writing of the show – not just the feel-worthy big speeches but also the fun banter and cultural references. Loved Toby’s whole Hulk/Bruce banner analogy after Kate had her outburst during the meeting.

Leah: It was jarring for me to go from the first episode togetherness the parents of the triplets had to suddenly they aren’t so happy. I can’t imagine raising three children that are all the same age, but I was hoping for a little more from our couple. In the end though they kissed and made up and the speech Rebecca gave to Jack about the kids was the most amazing thing.

In the present the idea that Kevin and Randall aren’t so close, or that Kevin wasn’t a great big brother was sad, but also sweet when Randall said there was still time to be that good big brother. Also, the reveal that Randall and his wife have been together for 17 years, they are a spectacular match and I love their banter.

What I find I really like about this show is I am as interested in the present story as I am in the past story. So far it is has been the perfect mix of both.

The guests this week were amazing. Who doesn’t love Katey Sagal and Brad Garrett. I’m considering hiring Katey come follow me around and tell people who are bothering me how it really is. She can deliver scathing remarks in the best way.

Once more the show threw a twist at us at the end. I made a very scrunchy face when I saw that Rebecca wasn’t married to Jack in the present. I am curious how this show, that has already jumped 8 years in the past, is going to keep this pace up.

I’ve got two favorite lines from the episode.
First was, “I heard Deadpool was her idea, or maybe it was Hamilton. I get those two confused.”
Second was, “First came…Me (Kevin) and Dad said Gee, and then came me (Kate) and Mom said Whee. Then came Me (Randall) and they said That’s Three. Big Three.”

This is Us airs Tuesday 9/8c on NBC